Hispanic theatre flourished in large part due to the number of Spanish-speaking people and increased dramatically over time in coordination with the exponential growth of the global Spanish-speaking population. Hispanic theatre has a rich and diverse history that dates all the way back to the earliest recorded performance of Hispanic theatre performed in 1567. The piece was performed in an attempt to help achieve and further Spanish conquest, religiously rather than through military force. The earliest performances were used by Conquistadors in an attempt to teach Native populations about Catholicism in an attempt to convert the Native populations. The documentation of Hispanic theatre is scarce and unreliable due to its unpopularity because of its controversial beginnings. However, upon the popularization of Hispanic Theatre, three distinct movements began: Chicano theatre, Cuban-American Theatre, and Nuyorican theatre. Chicano theatre has a decent mix of both English and Spanish, Cuban-American theatre relies heavily on Spanish, while Nuyorican theatre depends heavily on English.
From 1845 to 1875, the era was known as the continuation of the colonial culture as Mexican-Americans continued to live as they had before. During the period, all of the theatre produced focused solely on biblical narratives and were often performed by amateurs under the direction of local priests. During the late 1940's, plays were often performed during Christmas and Easter were commonly performed in towns all over the land settled by Spaniards. Some of the most popular performances were Las Pastorelas by Ruben M. Campa. Although many of the aspects of the plays were changed and revised over time, the majority of underlying themes remained the same. Music and songs were extremely important parts of the performances while improvisation continued to remain frequent. The improvisation caused no one scene to be exactly the same. During the period, theatre was exclusively performed by amateurs and maintained a strong emphasis on religious subjects while very little of it focused on the Mexican culture. Beginning in the 1870's, troupes began to perform in the United States while records of such troupes are very scarce. After 1910, new immigrants began to impact the small Mexican-American community as it made the community more Mexican than it was American. The productions of religious plays continued to attract audiences showed the strong efficacy of drama reserving the values of Mexican-Americans. Mexican-American and Chicano theatre both incorporated amateur, improvised, and concerned rhetoric.
Meanwhile, Puerto Rican theatre became a vibrant byproduct of oppression in which they lived through in the Urban Centers and Communities of some of America's largest cities. Many Puerto Rican theatre troupes began to travel the country for economic opportunities in order to return to their country in order to live more comfortably. The Puerto Rican theatres were used to reinforce cultural links between life in the urban ghetto and in Puerto Rico. The style is purely organic and comes to life anywhere and defines and enriches what it means to be a Puerto Rican. Puerto Rican theatre had established a theatrical tradition that spread and promoted Catholic doctrine. Puerto Rican theatre relies heavily on Catholic doctrine taught by the church. Another tradition made in New York during the Golden Age and contemporary Spanish plays that were performed in front of a predominately Spanish audience. Lofts, cafes, churches and other common spaces were typically used for performances. Traveling shows enabled the performers to incorporate street life and their native culture into their craft. The actors often spoke to audiences and incorporated the audiences into the action of the show. Since 1965, developments in Puerto Rican theatre looked promising while Nuyoricans held the key to shaping the new theatre that fully expressed their ethnic themes.
Hispanic theatre flourished in large part due to the number of Spanish-speaking people and increased dramatically over time in coordination with the exponential growth of the global Spanish-speaking population. Hispanic theatre has a rich and diverse history that dates all the way back to the earliest recorded performance of Hispanic theatre performed in 1567. The piece was performed in an attempt to help achieve and further Spanish conquest, religiously rather than through military force. The earliest performances were used by Conquistadors in an attempt to teach Native populations about Catholicism in an attempt to convert the Native populations. The documentation of Hispanic theatre is scarce and unreliable due to its unpopularity because of its controversial beginnings. However, upon the popularization of Hispanic Theatre, three distinct movements began: Chicano theatre, Cuban-American Theatre, and Nuyorican theatre. Chicano theatre has a decent mix of both English and Spanish, Cuban-American theatre relies heavily on Spanish, while Nuyorican theatre depends heavily on English.
From 1845 to 1875, the era was known as the continuation of the colonial culture as Mexican-Americans continued to live as they had before. During the period, all of the theatre produced focused solely on biblical narratives and were often performed by amateurs under the direction of local priests. During the late 1940's, plays were often performed during Christmas and Easter were commonly performed in towns all over the land settled by Spaniards. Some of the most popular performances were Las Pastorelas by Ruben M. Campa. Although many of the aspects of the plays were changed and revised over time, the majority of underlying themes remained the same. Music and songs were extremely important parts of the performances while improvisation continued to remain frequent. The improvisation caused no one scene to be exactly the same. During the period, theatre was exclusively performed by amateurs and maintained a strong emphasis on religious subjects while very little of it focused on the Mexican culture. Beginning in the 1870's, troupes began to perform in the United States while records of such troupes are very scarce. After 1910, new immigrants began to impact the small Mexican-American community as it made the community more Mexican than it was American. The productions of religious plays continued to attract audiences showed the strong efficacy of drama reserving the values of Mexican-Americans. Mexican-American and Chicano theatre both incorporated amateur, improvised, and concerned rhetoric.
Meanwhile, Puerto Rican theatre became a vibrant byproduct of oppression in which they lived through in the Urban Centers and Communities of some of America's largest cities. Many Puerto Rican theatre troupes began to travel the country for economic opportunities in order to return to their country in order to live more comfortably. The Puerto Rican theatres were used to reinforce cultural links between life in the urban ghetto and in Puerto Rico. The style is purely organic and comes to life anywhere and defines and enriches what it means to be a Puerto Rican. Puerto Rican theatre had established a theatrical tradition that spread and promoted Catholic doctrine. Puerto Rican theatre relies heavily on Catholic doctrine taught by the church. Another tradition made in New York during the Golden Age and contemporary Spanish plays that were performed in front of a predominately Spanish audience. Lofts, cafes, churches and other common spaces were typically used for performances. Traveling shows enabled the performers to incorporate street life and their native culture into their craft. The actors often spoke to audiences and incorporated the audiences into the action of the show. Since 1965, developments in Puerto Rican theatre looked promising while Nuyoricans held the key to shaping the new theatre that fully expressed their ethnic themes.